Pottenbakkers op een erf, mogelijk in Surabaya 1912

This photograph shows a scene of potters in what is thought to be Surabaya, taken by Onnes Kurkdjian sometime in the late 19th century. I love imagining the photographer setting up their camera in the yard to capture the scene. There's something about the way the figures are arranged—some working, others watching—that feels so natural, so unposed. The light is soft, almost hazy, which gives the image a dreamlike quality, like a memory fading at the edges. And the pots themselves, scattered around the yard, they’re so beautiful in their simplicity. I wonder what Kurkdjian was thinking as he framed the shot. Was he drawn to the beauty of the everyday, the quiet dignity of labor? Or was he simply documenting a way of life that he knew was slowly disappearing? Either way, this photograph is a reminder that even the most ordinary moments can be extraordinary if we take the time to look closely.